I just read an article
from one of my favorite World Net Daily columnists, Joseph Farah, and
nearly got sick to my stomach; not because he addressed the subject of
torture or because he called some Christians "wimps;" but rather because,
in his remarks, I saw evil raise its ugly head in the name of Christ.

Joe was responding
to an article that appeared in Christianity Today by Gary A. Haugen, who
had evidently presented the following question for our consideration:

"Is it ever right
for Americans to inflict cruel and degrading treatment on suspected terrorist
detainees?"

Now, I can't comment
on Mr. Haugen's entire piece because it was apparently pulled from the
CT website, maybe because of all the hostile email they received from
Farah's readers - just a guess. And, there may well be things in it I
wouldn't agree with myself; but, I would like to instead, respond to some
of Joe's disturbing remarks.

In his article entitled,
"Christian
Wimps," he quotes Mr. Haugen as saying:

"We read credible
reports - some from FBI agents - that prisoners have been stripped naked,
sexually humiliated, chained to the floor and left to defecate on themselves,"
he writes. "These and other practices like 'waterboarding' (in which a
detainee is made to feel as if he is being drowned) may or may not meet
the technical definition of torture, but no one denies that these practices
are cruel, inhuman and degrading."

I would only add
that most of us have already seen many of the disgusting photos from Abu
Ghraib. How that behavior or anything close to it can be viewed as acceptable
to a Christian is way beyond me.

But, before I go
on, let me just say; I'm no fan of the Christianity Today publication.
They're theology is liberal and I'm not; and what passes for Christian
conservatism these days doesn't resemble, in the least, anything taught
from the Sermon of the Mount. What Farah had to say in his column might
be considered "conservative" by today's carnal standards and even Christian
to some; but it should never ever be viewed as Christ-like:

I would suggest
that in wartime conditions, the interrogation of prisoners who may have
information that could save the lives of millions may by necessity involve
such practices."

If you get out your
dictionary and look up the words "torture" and "interrogation," the first
thing you'll notice is that they are not synonyms. The second thing you'll
see is that what Haugen described in the quote, is much more consistent
with the first definition than the second; but I guess in Joe's mind,
calling torture, "interrogation," eases the conscience somewhat and makes
the abuse of detainees more tolerable to those you wish to persuade -
kind of like; it's OK to take away one's God-given rights as an American
citizen as long as it's called "The Patriot Act" because it's all about
saving lives, right? If that isn't a slippery slope into tyranny, I don't
know what is.

If you'll notice,
he goes on to try and further justify the abuse of prisoners by carefully
employing the ambiguous phrase "wartime conditions" - meaning what - that
we need to treat prisoners as if we were in a state of war or; that because
our deployment overseas was never officially declared a war, we don't
have to observe any rules of decency?

Farah: "Cruelty?
Which is more cruel - a few hours of degradation for a terrorist or the
annihilation of a million Americans because we did not coerce information
from him about a nuclear weapon planted in an American city?"

Now, this is the
kind of reasoning one expects from a liberal, not Joe Farah; resorting
to relativism to make a point as if, whoever displays the least amount
of cruelty in this conflict is somehow righteous. At least he finally
admits that it's more than just interrogation that's going on - that the
suspects are indeed being degraded; and just for the record, "degradation"
isn't a synonym of "interrogation" either. Furthermore, it is important
to note that the prisoner in question conveniently goes from being called
a "suspected detainee" to a full-fledged "terrorist" with nuclear weapons
information.

The gospel of pragmatism
teaches that "the end justifies the means;" and unfortunately, in today's
increasingly facilitated groupthink environment, "whatever works" is being
emotionally twisted into "the Will of God;" perversely making the torture
of "suspected terrorist detainees" a doable option for obtaining results,
if not a patriotic duty worthy of honor and praise.

"There is a way
that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
-- Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25

It's no secret that
we go to great lengths here in America to treat convicted killers in a
humane fashion even during their execution. That's why we use lethal injection,
the gas chamber and devices like the electric chair; to terminate those
who have been sentenced to death by due process quickly, quietly and with
as little suffering as possible. One can only imagine the cruel and creative
ways lives would end on death row if we had no laws, conscience, compassion
or fear of God as a society. If nothing else, Abu Ghraib should serve
as an unsettling reminder of what the "good guys" are capable of when
left unchecked or led astray by superiors.

It's not that criminals
don't deserve to suffer for their crimes. Clearly they do; and the Bible
teaches that those who refuse to repent of their sins and receive Jesus
Christ as their Lord and Savior will suffer enormously and eternally.
Christians who don't really believe God and His Word or, for whatever
reason, take it upon themselves to play God by assuming an authority here
on Earth they were not given, by directly or indirectly causing those
they happen to dislike or oppose to suffer abuse needlessly, are clearly
not being obedient to the commands of scripture and will answer for it
on Judgment Day.

Even the youngest
of children understand "The Golden Rule." Why then is it so hard for many
Christian adults to grasp? Would you approve of the aforementioned treatment
if you or someone you loved were detained as a suspect?

We don't even abuse
pit bulls when they're put down for mauling a child? That's just part
of being a civilized society. So, under the context of terrorism, is it
now permissible to be cruel and indecent toward human "suspects" in hopes
of obtaining useful information they may or may not be withholding from
us?

Shall we now jettison
what few remaining attributes of western civilization we hold dear?

Farah: "It seems
Haugen and, perhaps, Christianity Today have their priorities screwed
up. Why are they losing sleep over a hardened terrorist prisoner
getting slapped around? Aren't there real injustices going on in
the world that should be occupying their attention?" (Underscore added)

Wait a minute! Stop
right there! He did it again. We weren't talking about "a hardened
terrorist" or prisoners merely being "slapped;" we were talking about
"suspected terrorist detainees." Don't forget the original question,
persons and abuses Mr. Haugen cited in the quote; even though it seems,
Mr. Farah, in all his "righteous indignation," would like you to.

Calling suspects
"terrorists" and casually playing down their sadistic treatment by describing
it, as "slapping around," is being more than a little dishonest, wouldn't
you say? And, if you ask me, punishing an as yet, un-convicted detainee
is about as "real" as "injustice" gets.

One would think Joseph
Farah, a professing Christian and outspoken supporter of The Constitution
and Bill of Rights, would realize the sinister implications of playing
God by sanctioning the abuse of "suspects" and "detainees." It should
also be noted here that the term "terrorist," is currently evolving into
all sorts of obscure and handy meanings while the country and the church
sleeps; being carefully redefined for an assortment of future applications
by the powers that be.

Couple that with
the new "hate speech" laws and the "salt of the earth," along with a number
of patriots, will soon find themselves being detained and "interrogated"
for "the sake of peace," "the war on terrorism," "the good of the country,"
"national security," etc, etc, etc, you pick one�

Isn't it funny how
tyranny is only tyranny when someone else is in power?

If, God forbid, Hillary
Clinton or someone like her gets elected president in 2008 and declares
by Executive Order that Bible-believing Christian fundamentalists are
all potential "terrorists," which, by the way, really isn't that much
of a stretch, thereby making them official "suspects" worthy of interrogation,
detention and more; many could end up not only being incarcerated but
also tortured or worse under a Nazi-like notion that she is carrying out
God's Will!

That includes YOU
TOO, Joe�

"�the time cometh,
that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service."
-- John 16:2

Rabble-rousers like
Farah are not new to Christianity. There were zealots during the time
of Jesus' earthly ministry who tried in all their misguided anger and
outrage to get our Lord and His followers onboard their revolution against
Rome; but He would have none of it because The Almighty had another agenda.

In fact, Jesus rebuked
one of His own who, in all his zeal, momentarily forgot his place and
strayed from the Word of God to try and impose his own will and do what
he thought was right. When the Lord told his disciples that He must suffer,
be rejected and killed, Peter rebuked Him saying: "Be it far from thee,
Lord: this shall not be unto thee," to which Jesus responded:

"Get thee behind
me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things
that be of men." -- Mark 8:33

Mr. Farah would do
well to consider these words from the One he calls His Lord and Savior,
especially if he still plans on "Taking America Back."

Being a disciple
of Christ is certainly not easy because we are commanded to set ourselves
aside, along with our desires, agendas, appetites and ambitions to conform
to God's Will. There is no room for pride, pragmatism, compromise or a
herd mentality. That means we are always swimming upstream. When we refuse
to do that, even for a "good cause;" in the eyes of God, we make ourselves
part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

"For my thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." -- Isaiah 55:8-9

Paul Proctor, a rural resident of the Volunteer
state and seasoned veteran of the country music industry, retired from
showbiz in the late 1990's to dedicate himself to addressing important
social issues from a distinctly biblical perspective. As a freelance writer
and regular columnist for NewsWithViews.com,
he extols the wisdom and truths of scripture through commentary and insight
on cultural trends and current events. His articles appear regularly on
a variety of news and opinion sites across the internet and in print.